Doylestown Loses Longtime Friend

Doylestown lost a familiar face this week.

John Carwithen, 60, died on Wednesday, and his loss is being felt keenly by all those who knew him, including his neighbors on East Oakland Avenue, the volunteer fire company and the Boy Scouts.

Carwithen was a staple at the Doylestown Fire Company, where his father, Walter, had been chief. Though a disability prevented Johnny from actually fighting fires, he was an official member of the company and contributed in his own ways, from helping prepare for public open houses to washing the fire trucks.

Doylestown firefighter Larry Browne shared his memories of Johnny's time with the fire company - .

Johnny delivered newspapers for The Intelligencer for many years, and would often be seen walking around town.

Carwithen also was the senior patrol leader in Doylestown's special needs Boy Scout Troop 135, said Curtis DeHaven, one of the troop's leaders.

"He was a longtime Doylestown friend and icon," DeHaven remembered Friday. "I’ll miss seeing him delivering his papers in the morning."